Healing and Hypnotherapy Volume - 4, issue 9 1 March 2020 | Page 29

This exercise will help you sharpen the five senses of sight, smell, taste,
touch, and hearing. This, in turn, will help your lucid dreams become more
vibrant and vivid.
You must practice  consciousness in order to become conscious in your
dreams. The goal is to become aware of what you experience with your
senses in everyday life: every size shade, texture, taste, and nuance.
Here’s how to sharpen your consciousness:
• Look –  Attune to every shape, colour and movement, e.g., a building, a
blade of grass, a flying bird
• Listen – Attune to every pitch and intensity, e.g., the wind, a barking
dog, a car
• Feel – Attune to every texture, weight, temperature, and feeling, e.g.,
the soil, your legs, the sun on your head
• Taste – Attune to the bitter, sweet, creamy, crunchy, smooth taste of
food, e.g., the sea air, a muffin, a tangy cup of tea
• Smell – Attune to every odor, whether warm, sweet, bitter, odorous,
floral, e.g., smoke, incense, body odor 
• Become Aware of Yourself – It also helps to become conscious of your
emotions, thoughts, and breathing. For example
• “I feel peaceful”, “I am thinking about my friend.”
Exercise 2: Asking the Golden Question
This is also called Critical State Testing. It involves asking the question during
the day “am I dreaming or am I awake, right now?” It sounds a bit silly, but
really try to justify your answer.
The point of this exercise is to create a habit of testing consciousness in
waking life that can be brought over to the dream world. Soon you will find
yourself asking the same question in your dreams (“am I dreaming?”). It’s
important to plan when you ask the question so that you remember. For
instance, you could always ask “am I dreaming or awake now?” whenever
you look into a mirror, climb some stairs, or shut a door. Planning will help you
test your own reality.
Exercise 3: Keeping a Dream Journal